The ambassador said that the US will continue to provide as much aid to Ukraine as possible, though she chose not to specify exactly how much. Yovanovitch also said that US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is currently considering the possibility of a more active US involvement in the negotiations process on the Ukrainian crisis.
Political analyst Victor Olevich told RIA Novosti that the US essentially wants to provide Ukraine with the bare minimum of aid necessary for the country to remain "afloat" and maintain its status as an American vassal.
"On the one hand, the US wants Ukraine to remain its vassal. Washington wants Kiev to remain dependent on US support. The US also wants Kiev to remain "an aggravator" in relations with Russia, a constant problem on Russia’s borders that promotes the blatant anti-Russian policy. But on the other hand, Washington doesn’t want to spend too much money on supporting Kiev. And as we can see, the Trump administration’s promises to decrease spending on foreign aid are being partially fulfilled. The US decreased the amount of aid to Ukraine but still provide enough for the country to remain afloat," he said.
Olevich also remarked that the US is unlikely to adopt an active role in negotiations on the Ukrainian crisis.
"The US’ geopolitical objectives regarding Russia and Ukraine remain the same as before: the US seeks to “contain” Russia and to diminish Russian influence in the former Soviet states. Therefore, there’s no reason to expect the US to come up with some kind of new approach or to pressure Kiev into finally abiding by the Minsk agreements. That would not be in the US interests," Olevich added.
